Screen Australia announces funding for digital games
More than $1.5 million in funding will be shared between small and media independent games studios through the Games: Expansion Pack fund, Screen Australia has announced.
The announcement:
Screen Australia has announced 11 games that will share in over $1.5 million of funding through the Games: Expansion Pack fund. The games span VR, adventure, puzzle, platformer, horror, rhythm and more.
This announcement comes after the Federal Government launched the new National Cultural Policy, Revive, which commits to introducing a Digital Games Tax Offset and providing an additional $12 million over four years from 2023-24 to support digital games developers and small and medium independent games studios through Screen Australia.
CEO of Screen Australia Graeme Mason said: “There are huge opportunities for growth in the local games sector. The Government’s $12 million investment to support digital games developers and small and medium independent games studios will enable Screen Australia to support more Australian developers to create original games, build sustainable businesses and attract local and global audiences.”
Screen Australia’s head of online Lee Naimo said: “Alongside the recent announcement of Revive, we’re pleased to support this exciting mix of games from all across Australia that are bringing to life distinctly Aussie stories, from cattle farming in the Northern Territory to solving mysteries in the Victorian Alps, as well as the next project from the award-winning team at Fuzzy Ghost. It’s fantastic to see the ambition and skill of our local game creators, including driven first-time and solo developers, as they advance their careers.”
Targeted at emerging or small to medium independent game studios, Screen Australia’s existing Games: Expansion Pack provides direct funding for original Australian games with budgets below $500,000. The fund is open for applications on an ongoing basis until 4 May 2023.
The Games: Expansion Pack first launched in March 2022, and the first round of funding distributed over $4 million to 30 Australian games.
The funded games include: Bilkins’ Folly (TAS), Call of the Golden Valley (VIC), Conscript (VIC), Copycat (NSW), Diets and Deities (NT), GHOST CAM (WA), Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) (NSW), Misc. A Tiny Tale (WA), Pasture: The Livestock Simulator (NT), The Sacred Acorn (SA), and Trash (VIC).
Source: Screen Australia
